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Breast Cancer UK calls for moratorium on fracking

Breast Cancer UK has called for a moratorium on fracking and warned that the cocktail of chemicals used in the process may increase cancer rates.

waste water at a fracking site in the USA

The charity points out that many of the chemicals used in fracking are known chemicals of concern and have been linked to an increased risk of breast cancer. For example, benzene, acrylamide, formaldehyde and ethylene oxide are all used in fracking and are all listed by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) as human carcinogens and have been linked to breast cancer tumours in other studies.

The report concludes: Breast Cancer UK has strong concerns about the potentially adverse health effects of increased exposure to harmful chemicals as a result of fracking. We support our European partners’ calls for a moratorium on all exploration and exploitation licensing in all EU countries [including the UK] and a comprehensive review of EU policies which pertain to fracking.